As you can see, Russia will pull together a colossal coalition in the end of days.
All signs in our world today point toward the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38–39. Russia and its allies seem to be far down the road that eventually leads to Israel. But not every nation in the end times will support this invasion. Ezekiel highlights a group of nations that will lodge a protest, albeit a lame one, to this military offensive. The opposition is described in Ezekiel 38:13: “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’”
Notice that these nations don’t do anything; they just question what’s happening. Their mild protest doesn’t change anything. They question the motivation and purpose of the invasion. This looks frighteningly similar to the passive reaction we often see from the United Nations and nations in the West to international aggression.
Three specific places are listed as the source of the opposition—Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish. Sheba and Dedan are easy to identify. They refer to nations on the Arabian Peninsula and along the Persian Gulf. Walter Kaiser notes that Sheba and Dedan are usually identified with people “living in the Arabian peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.”[22] Most of these nations are under moderate Sunni Arab regimes who oppose the more militant strains of Islam.[23]
Tarshish is more difficult to identify with precision. The identification is complicated by the mention of “all its villages” (NASB) or “all the young lions” (KJV). Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes, “This phrase is a Hebrew idiom meaning nations that have come out of Tarshish.”[24] But the real issue is the location of Tarshish itself. Two places in the ancient world are identified as Tarshish—Spain and England. If Tarshish is Spain, the nations that came from it include “Central and South America, except for Brazil.”[25] If the location is England, it would include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The name Tarshish was used in ancient times to denote the farthest lands to the west, so it’s probably best to identify Tarshish as the western nations of Europe and possibly even the United States, although the US connection is more tenuous.
The lack of any mention of international support for Israel, other than this weak protest, means that by the time of the Russian invasion, the United States will be either unwilling or unable to do anything to help. There are many plausible scenarios that could explain US absence in Bible prophecy, but clearly the Rapture—the instantaneous vanishing of all believers as they are taken up to heaven (recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)—would leave the United States severely weakened and possibly a second-rate world power.
Regardless of the exact location of Tarshish or of what role, if any, the United States will play, these nations in Ezekiel 38:13 will resist Russia and its allies but only with words. Israel’s only help will come from God.
The pieces of Ezekiel’s prophecy seem to be moving into place. Russia and the allies outlined in Ezekiel 38 are identifiable nations with the intent and incentive to join together and attack Israel. Even the nations that will object to this foray are viable nations with competing interests against Russia and its radical partners.
The rise of Russia under Vladimir Putin and the formation of new alliances is another sign indicating the Lord’s coming may be very soon. As Joel Rosenberg says,
Whether he realizes the prophetic implications of his actions or not, Putin has clearly embarked upon an aggressive and systematic effort to build new alliances with countries specifically cited in Ezekiel 38–39, as well as with those countries that could be involved in the War of Gog and Magog but are not clearly defined in the text. And the clock is ticking.
So watch closely, for such efforts will only intensify as the time of Ezekiel’s vision comes to fulfillment.[26]
I like the story about a bunch of sailors who were returning from a long voyage away from home. As the boat approached shore, the men were all looking eagerly for their wives and girlfriends on the dock. As the men scanned the crowd of women lining the railing, the air of excitement and expectancy grew. One man, however, was all alone as he watched all the other men find their wives and girlfriends, and they all embraced. But his wife was nowhere to be found. Worried, he hurried home and found a light on in his house. As he entered he was relieved to see his wife. She quickly turned and said, “Honey, I’ve been waiting for you.” His response displayed his deep disappointment. “The other men’s wives and girlfriends were watching for them!”
Are we just waiting for Jesus, or are we watching for him? Are we watching closely?
The clock is ticking.
Live looking!
Chapter 5: Triple Threat: Russia, Iran, and Turkey
A TECTONIC SHIFT HAS OCCURRED IN THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST…. TURKEY AND IRAN ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING TOWARD RUSSIA, WHILE RUSSIA IS EXPANDING ITS GLOBAL MILITARY AND STRATEGIC REACH…. THIS WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ACROSS THE REGION, POTENTIALLY LEAVING U.S. ALLY ISRAEL ISOLATED TO FACE A MASSIVE HOSTILE ALLIANCE ARMED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
As we saw in the last chapter, Ezekiel 38:1-6 lists ten proper names, identifying the leader and the nations that will launch an offensive against Israel in the latter years. At least seven, and possibly eight, of the ten names refer to the leader of Russia and the modern nations of Russia, Turkey, and Iran. These three nations form the central core of the northern coalition led by the king of the north.
All three of these nations are emerging at the same time and forging stronger ties to one another. Any news watcher, no matter how casual, knows that these three countries find themselves in the headlines almost every day.
In the case of Russia, the Kremlin has accused Americans of having an “emotional obsession” with Russia in light of US allegations of election hacking and meddling and collusion.[1]
Iran’s open pursuit of nuclear weapons, numerous ballistic missile tests, and the Obama administration’s controversial Iran nuclear deal keep it front and center.
Turkey’s controversial referendum vote in April 2017, which gives President Erdoğan almost unilateral control over his country, has perplexed and worried the world.
The horrible Syrian conflict and the rise of ISIS have put the Russia-Iran-Turkey axis in the daily news.
The rise of a Russian-Iranian-Turkish triumvirate is a hugely significant development both historically and prophetically. Historically, these nations share a fascinating, common feature: “All three were empires long before they became nation-states.”[2] Each had its turn dominating the region and basking in glory, but each has lost much of the territory it previously controlled:
• Persian empire (550–331 BC)
• Ottoman empire (AD 1299–1923)
• Russian empire created by Peter the Great (1721–1917)
22
Kaiser,
23
Saudi Arabia does harbor some terrorist elements but is vehemently opposed to Iran. Yemen is engrossed in a vicious civil war pitting the government against Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
1
“Kremlin: U.S. Has ‘Emotional Obsession’ with Russia,” CNN, May 12, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/05/12/lead-chance-kremlin-accuses-u-s-of-being-obsessed-with-russia-live.cnn, 2:59.
2
Abedin Taherkenareh, “Why Russia, Turkey and Iran Are Natural Allies,”